Buy an icey tek or hire a fridge? Two weeks in France

[OrangeSunset]

Just that, really.

2 weeks in France in July/August. We have EHU, and I think it'll be about €80 to hire a fridge.
I'd really like an icey tek, but I suspect DH will be opposed to the expense and garage storage space.

If can convince him it'll pay for itself in the second year (assume we survive our first 2 week camping holiday!) versus fridge rental, I might be onto a winner.

Which would you choose? Or is there another option I've not spotted?

And would we probably need 40l for 2 weeks? Wine, beer, water, cheese, milk and cheese to bring home.

For two weeks in a warm place, I'd hire a fridge. It gets wearing having to keep on top of freezing the ice blocks...

Definitely a fridge!

I'd get both

The fridge really helps in France, because you can stock up at the supermarket and spend more time on holiday. But then the icey tek could be useful as an extra, and like you say you can bring home lots of nice items.

Will you definitely have room in the car?

Yep we'll have van so there'll be space.

I wondered about the freezing thing. Will go with fridge. Don't want to add incessant (minor) stress to an unknown situation!

Why don't you buy a camping fridge?

We bought a 2nd hand camping fridge for about £80. Best money we ever spent.

I would hire in that situation.

We have similar to an icy tek and have had a camping fridge. Once the Icy tek has got warm you will find it hard to get itvthat cold again. Camping fridges are heavy. Save the weigh and space, then hire.

I would hire the fridge. We have an iceytek for short term UK camping but haven't always taken it for longer holidays to France. We used a camping fridge instead but a hired fridge would probably have been more effective, especially on those 30 degree plus days. And you don't have to think about buying ice or freezing packs. And the wine bottles can stand up in a fridge, you would need a big iceytek for that.

We hired a fridge for our first French camping trip in the vendee but not available our second year so plumped for a big red iceytek.
Pre cooled with frozen water bottles and packed with frozen stuff for the journey. We topped up with 2 bags of ice every two days, kept the melted cold water in the bottom and cooled supermarket shelf temperature beer and wine to fridge cold, perhaps even colder than the hired fridge managed.
I was really impressed with the cooling but buying ice adds to the costs. I would say it kept really cold for 10 days at least, the last few days we probably didn't invest the previous efforts. This was in August so pretty hot.
DH had the heavy lid fall on his finger which was excruciating but avoidable! This year I will take more rubber sealed boxes to keep salad, cheese and meat easily. Ziplock bags didn't cut it.
I preferred having the iceytek outside, accessible when cooking and drinking and no splashes inside the tent. Also useful occasional surface.
I didn't really like having the fridge inside the tent but we're in a bell so open plan. It might be better in a compartmentalised tent.
We did consider an electric cool box but thought it would be noisy and apart from French annual holiday don't often have EHU. Those gas/electric fridges seem good but iceytek seems to be more flexible, similar price, more usable volume, will last forever and infinitely more beautiful!

When we've hired they have been fridge-freezers. The savings made by stocking up on ice-cream probably covered the hire charge.

I must be the only mumsnetter with an iceytek who doesn't think it is the best thing ever. I just don't love it the way I should. Because it doesn't keep things cold enough in a hot climate without lots of thought/ effort and I am lazy, especially when I'm on holiday. Go the fridge